81 FR 20007 - Advisors Asset Management, Inc. and AAM ETF Trust; Notice of Application

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 66 (April 6, 2016)

Summary of Application: Applicants request an order that would permit (a) series of certain open-end management investment companies to issue shares (``Shares'') redeemable in large aggregations only (``Creation Units''); (b) secondary market transactions in Shares to occur at negotiated market prices rather than at net asset value (``NAV''); (c) certain series to pay redemption proceeds, under certain circumstances, more than seven days after the tender of Shares for redemption; (d) certain affiliated persons of the series to deposit securities into, and receive securities from, the series in connection with the purchase and redemption of Creation Units; and (e) certain registered management investment companies and unit investment trusts (``UITs'') outside of the same group of investment companies as the series to acquire Shares. Applicants: Advisors Asset Management Inc. (the ``Initial Adviser'') and AAM ETF Trust (the ``Trust'').

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 66 (Wednesday, April 6, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20007-20016]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-07835]


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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

[Investment Company Act Release No. 32063; 812-14537]


Advisors Asset Management, Inc. and AAM ETF Trust; Notice of 
Application

March 31, 2016.
AGENCY: Securities and Exchange Commission (``Commission'').

ACTION: Notice of an application for an order under section 6(c) of the 
Investment Company Act of 1940 (the ``Act'') for an exemption from 
sections 2(a)(32), 5(a)(1), 22(d), and 22(e) of the Act and rule 22c-1 
under the Act, under sections 6(c) and 17(b) of the Act for an 
exemption from sections 17(a)(1) and 17(a)(2) of the Act, and under 
section 12(d)(1)(J) for an exemption from sections 12(d)(1)(A) and 
12(d)(1)(B) of the Act.

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SUMMARY: Summary of Application: Applicants request an order that would 
permit (a) series of certain open-end management investment companies 
to issue shares (``Shares'') redeemable in large aggregations only 
(``Creation Units''); (b) secondary market transactions in Shares to 
occur at negotiated market prices rather than at net asset value 
(``NAV''); (c) certain series to pay redemption proceeds, under certain 
circumstances, more than seven days after the tender of Shares for 
redemption; (d) certain affiliated persons of the series to deposit 
securities into, and receive securities from, the series in connection 
with the purchase and redemption of Creation Units; and (e) certain 
registered management investment companies and unit investment trusts 
(``UITs'') outside of the same group of investment companies as the 
series to acquire Shares.
    Applicants: Advisors Asset Management Inc. (the ``Initial 
Adviser'') and AAM ETF Trust (the ``Trust'').

DATES: Filing Dates: The application was filed on August 20, 2015, and 
amended on January 13, 2016.
    Hearing or Notification of Hearing: An order granting the requested 
relief will be issued unless the Commission orders a hearing. 
Interested persons may request a hearing by writing to the Commission's 
Secretary and serving applicants with a copy of the request, personally 
or by mail. Hearing requests should be received by the Commission by 
5:30 p.m. on April 25, 2016, and should be accompanied by proof of 
service on applicants, in the form of an affidavit, or for lawyers, a 
certificate of service. Pursuant to rule 0-5 under the

[[Page 20008]]

Act, hearing requests should state the nature of the writer's interest, 
any facts bearing upon the desirability of a hearing on the matter, the 
reason for the request, and the issues contested. Persons who wish to 
be notified of a hearing may request notification by writing to the 
Commission's Secretary.

ADDRESSES: Secretary, Securities and Exchange Commission, 100 F Street 
NE., Washington, DC 20549; Applicants: Scott I. Coyler, Advisors Asset 
Management, Inc., 18925 Base Camp Road, Suite 203, Monument, Colorado 
80132.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Deepak T. Pai, Senior Counsel, at 
(202) 551-6876, or Mary Kay Frech, Branch Chief, at (202) 551-6821 
(Division of Investment Management, Chief Counsel's Office).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The following is a summary of the 
application. The complete application may be obtained via the 
Commission's Web site by searching for the file number, or for an 
applicant using the Company name box, at http://www.sec.gov/search/search.htm or by calling (202) 551-8090.

Applicants' Representations

    1. The Trust is a business trust organized under the laws of the 
Commonwealth of Massachusetts and intends to register under the Act as 
an open-end management investment company with multiple series. Each 
series for which the Trust seeks the requested order will operate as an 
exchange traded fund (``ETF'').
    2. The Initial Adviser is registered as an investment adviser under 
the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (the ``Advisers Act'') and will be 
the investment adviser to the Funds (defined below). Any other Adviser 
(defined below) also will be registered as an investment adviser under 
the Advisers Act. The Adviser may enter into sub-advisory agreements 
with one or more investment advisers to act as sub-advisers to 
particular Funds (each, a ``Sub-Adviser''). Any Sub-Adviser will either 
be registered under the Advisers Act or will not be required to 
register thereunder.
    3. The Trust will enter into a distribution agreement with one or 
more distributors. Each distributor for a Fund will be a broker-dealer 
(``Broker'') registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 
(``Exchange Act'') and will act as distributor and principal 
underwriter (``Distributor'') for one or more of the Funds. No 
Distributor will be affiliated with any national securities exchange, 
as defined in section 2(a)(26) of the Act (``Exchange''). The 
Distributor for each Fund will comply with the terms and conditions of 
the requested order.
    4. Applicants request that the order apply to the initial series of 
the Trust described in the application (``Initial Fund'') and any 
additional series of the Trust, and any other open-end management 
investment company or series thereof, that may be created in the future 
(``Future Funds'' and together with the Initial Fund, ``Funds''), each 
of which will operate as an ETF and will track a specified index 
comprised of domestic or foreign equity and/or fixed income securities, 
or a blend of domestic and/or foreign equity and fixed income 
securities (each, an ``Underlying Index''). Any Fund will (a) be 
advised by the Initial Adviser or an entity controlling, controlled by, 
or under common control with the Initial Adviser (each such entity and 
any successor thereto, an ``Adviser'') \1\ and (b) comply with the 
terms and conditions of the application.\2\
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    \1\ For the purposes of the requested order, a ``successor'' is 
limited to an entity or entities that result from reorganization 
into another jurisdiction or a change in the type of business 
organization.
    \2\ All existing entities that intend to rely on the requested 
order have been named as applicants. Any other existing or future 
entity that subsequently relies on the order will comply with the 
terms and conditions of the order. A Fund of Funds (as defined 
below) may rely on the order only to invest in Underlying Funds (as 
defined below) and not in any other registered investment company.
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    5. Each Fund will hold certain securities, currencies, other 
assets, and other investment positions (``Portfolio Holdings'') 
selected to correspond generally to the performance of its Underlying 
Index. The Underlying Indexes will be comprised of equity and/or fixed 
income securities issued by one or more of the following categories of 
issuers: (i) Domestic issuers and (ii) non-domestic issuers meeting the 
requirements for trading in U.S. markets. Other Funds will be based on 
Underlying Indexes that will be comprised of foreign and domestic, or 
solely foreign, equity and/or fixed income securities (``Foreign 
Funds'').
    6. Applicants represent that each Fund will invest at least 80% of 
its assets (excluding securities lending collateral) in the component 
securities of its respective Underlying Index (``Component 
Securities'') and TBA Transactions,\3\ and in the case of Foreign 
Funds, Component Securities and Depositary Receipts \4\ representing 
Component Securities. Each Fund may also invest up to 20% of its assets 
in a broad variety of other instruments including, but not limited to, 
repurchase agreements, reverse repurchase agreements, government 
securities, cash and cash equivalents, commodities, options, futures 
contracts, currency futures contracts, options on futures contracts, 
swaps, options on swaps, forward contracts or other derivatives or 
financial instruments (including, but not limited to, credit-linked 
notes, commodity-linked notes, forward commitment transactions, foreign 
currency forwards, indexed and inverse floating rate securities, 
floating and variable rate instruments, convertible instruments, 
preferred stocks, rights and warrants), real estate investment trusts, 
shares of other ETFs, UITs and exchange-traded notes, and shares of 
money market mutual funds or other investment companies or pooled 
investment vehicles, foreign currency, mortgage-backed securities, 
asset-backed securities, municipal debt securities, when-issued 
securities and delayed delivery transactions, including securities and 
other instruments not included in its Underlying Index but which the 
Fund's Adviser or any Sub-Adviser believes will help the Fund track its 
Underlying Index. A Fund may also engage in short sales in accordance 
with its investment objective.
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    \3\ A ``to-be-announced transaction'' or ``TBA Transaction'' is 
a method of trading mortgage-backed securities. In a TBA 
Transaction, the buyer and seller agree upon general trade 
parameters such as agency, settlement date, par amount and price. 
The actual pools delivered generally are determined two days prior 
to settlement date.
    \4\ Depositary receipts representing foreign securities 
(``Depositary Receipts'') include American Depositary Receipts and 
Global Depositary Receipts. The Funds may invest in Depositary 
Receipts representing foreign securities in which they seek to 
invest. Depositary Receipts are typically issued by a financial 
institution (a ``depositary bank'') and evidence ownership interests 
in a security or a pool of securities that have been deposited with 
the depositary bank. A Fund will not invest in any Depositary 
Receipts that the Adviser or any Sub-Adviser deems to be illiquid or 
for which pricing information is not readily available. No 
affiliated person of a Fund, the Adviser or any Sub-Adviser will 
serve as the depositary bank for any Depositary Receipts held by a 
Fund, except a depositary bank that is deemed to be affiliated 
solely because a Fund owns greater than 5% of the outstanding voting 
securities of such depositary bank.
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    7. The Trust may offer Funds that seek to track Underlying Indexes 
constructed using 130/30 investment strategies (``130/30 Funds'') or 
other long/short investment strategies (``Long/Short Funds''). Each 
Long/Short Fund will establish (i) exposures equal to approximately 
100% of the long positions specified by the Long/Short Index \5\ and 
(ii) exposures equal to approximately 100% of the short

[[Page 20009]]

positions specified by the Long/Short Index. Each 130/30 Fund will 
include strategies that: (i) Establish long positions in securities so 
that total long exposure represents approximately 130% of a Fund's net 
assets; and (ii) simultaneously establish short positions in other 
securities so that total short exposure represents approximately 30% of 
such Fund's net assets. Each Business Day (as defined below), for each 
Long/Short Fund and 130/30 Fund, the Adviser will provide full 
portfolio transparency on the Fund's publicly available Web site (``Web 
site'') by making available the Fund's Portfolio Holdings before the 
commencement of trading of Shares on the Listing Exchange (defined 
below).\6\ The information provided on the Web site will be formatted 
to be reader-friendly.
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    \5\ Underlying Indexes that include both long and short 
positions in securities are referred to as ``Long/Short Indexes.''
    \6\ Under accounting procedures followed by each Fund, trades 
made on the prior Business Day (``T'') will be booked and reflected 
in NAV on the current Business Day (T+1). Accordingly, the Funds 
will be able to disclose at the beginning of the Business Day the 
portfolio that will form the basis for the NAV calculation at the 
end of the Business Day.
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    8. A Fund will utilize either a replication or representative 
sampling strategy to track its Underlying Index. A Fund using a 
replication strategy will invest in the Component Securities of its 
Underlying Index in the same approximate proportions as in such 
Underlying Index. A Fund using a representative sampling strategy will 
hold some, but not necessarily all of the Component Securities of its 
Underlying Index. Applicants state that a Fund using a representative 
sampling strategy will not be expected to track the performance of its 
Underlying Index with the same degree of accuracy as would an 
investment vehicle that invested in every Component Security of the 
Underlying Index with the same weighting as the Underlying Index. 
Applicants expect that each Fund will have an annual tracking error 
relative to the performance of its Underlying Index of less than 5%.
    9. Each Fund will be entitled to use its Underlying Index pursuant 
to either a licensing agreement with the entity that compiles, creates, 
sponsors or maintains the Underlying Index (each, an ``Index 
Provider'') or a sub-licensing arrangement with the Adviser, which will 
have a licensing agreement with such Index Provider.\7\ A ``Self-
Indexing Fund'' is a Fund for which an affiliated person, as defined in 
section 2(a)(3) of the Act (``Affiliated Person''), or an affiliated 
person of an Affiliated Person (``Second-Tier Affiliate''), of the 
Trust or a Fund, of the Adviser, of any Sub-Adviser to or promoter of a 
Fund, or of the Distributor (each, an ``Affiliated Index Provider'') 
\8\ will serve as the Index Provider. In the case of Self-Indexing 
Funds, an Affiliated Index Provider will create a proprietary, rules-
based methodology to create Underlying Indexes (each an ``Affiliated 
Index'').\9\ Except with respect to the Self-Indexing Funds, no Index 
Provider is or will be an Affiliated Person, or a Second-Tier 
Affiliate, of the Trust or a Fund, of the Adviser, of any Sub-Adviser 
to or promoter of a Fund, or of the Distributor.
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    \7\ The licenses for the Self-Indexing Funds will specifically 
state that the Affiliated Index Provider (as defined below), or in 
case of a sub-licensing agreement, the Adviser, must provide the use 
of the Affiliated Indexes (as defined below) and related 
intellectual property at no cost to the applicable Trust and the 
Self-Indexing Funds.
    \8\ In the event that an Adviser or Sub-Adviser serves as the 
Affiliated Index Provider for a Self-Indexing Fund, the terms 
``Affiliated Index Provider'' or ``Index Provider,'' with respect to 
that Self-Indexing Fund, will refer to the employees of the 
applicable Adviser or Sub-Adviser that are responsible for creating, 
compiling and maintaining the relevant Underlying Index.
    \9\ The Affiliated Indexes may be made available to registered 
investment companies, as well as separately managed accounts of 
institutional investors and privately offered funds that are not 
deemed to be ``investment companies'' in reliance on section 3(c)(1) 
or 3(c)(7) of the Act for which the Adviser acts as adviser or 
subadviser (``Affiliated Accounts'') as well as other such 
registered investment companies, separately managed accounts and 
privately offered funds for which it does not act either as adviser 
or subadviser (``Unaffiliated Accounts''). The Affiliated Accounts 
and the Unaffiliated Accounts, like the Funds, would seek to track 
the performance of one or more Underlying Index(es) by investing in 
the constituents of such Underlying Indexes or a representative 
sample of such constituents of the Underlying Index. Consistent with 
the relief requested from section 17(a), the Affiliated Accounts 
will not engage in Creation Unit transactions with a Fund.
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    10. Applicants recognize that Self-Indexing Funds could raise 
concerns regarding the ability of the Affiliated Index Provider to 
manipulate the Underlying Index to the benefit or detriment of the 
Self-Indexing Fund. Applicants further recognize the potential for 
conflicts that may arise with respect to the personal trading activity 
of personnel of the Affiliated Index Provider who have knowledge of 
changes to an Underlying Index prior to the time that information is 
publicly disseminated.
    11. Applicants propose that each Self-Indexing Fund will post on 
its Web site, on each day the Fund is open, including any day when it 
satisfies redemption requests as required by section 22(e) of the Act 
(a ``Business Day''), before commencement of trading of Shares on the 
Listing Exchange, the identities and quantities of the Portfolio 
Holdings that will form the basis for the Fund's calculation of its NAV 
at the end of the Business Day. Applicants believe that requiring Self-
Indexing Funds to maintain full portfolio transparency will also 
provide an additional mechanism for addressing any such potential 
conflicts of interest.
    12. In addition, applicants do not believe the potential for 
conflicts of interest raised by the Adviser's use of the Underlying 
Indexes in connection with the management of the Self Indexing Funds 
and the Affiliated Accounts will be substantially different from the 
potential conflicts presented by an adviser managing two or more 
registered funds. Both the Act and the Advisers Act contain various 
protections to address conflicts of interest where an adviser is 
managing two or more registered funds and these protections will also 
help address these conflicts with respect to the Self-Indexing 
Funds.\10\
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    \10\ See, e.g., Rule 17j-1 under the Act and section 204A under 
the Advisers Act and Rules 204A-1 and 206(4)-7 under the Advisers 
Act.
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    13. The Adviser and any Sub-Adviser have adopted or will adopt, 
pursuant to Rule 206(4)-7 under the Advisers Act, written policies and 
procedures designed to prevent violations of the Advisers Act and the 
rules thereunder. These include policies and procedures designed to 
minimize potential conflicts of interest among the Self-Indexing Funds 
and the Affiliated Accounts, such as cross trading policies, as well as 
those designed to ensure the equitable allocation of portfolio 
transactions and brokerage commissions. In addition, the Initial 
Adviser has adopted or will adopt policies and procedures as required 
under section 204A of the Advisers Act, which are reasonably designed 
in light of the nature of its business to prevent the misuse, in 
violation of the Advisers Act or the Exchange Act or the rules 
thereunder, of material non-public information by the Initial Adviser 
or an associated person (``Inside Information Policy''). Any other 
Adviser or Sub-Adviser will be required to adopt and maintain a similar 
Inside Information Policy. In accordance with the Code of Ethics \11\ 
and Inside Information Policy of the Adviser and any Sub-Adviser, 
personnel of those entities with knowledge about the composition of the 
Portfolio Deposit \12\

[[Page 20010]]

will be prohibited from disclosing such information to any other 
person, except as authorized in the course of their employment, until 
such information is made public. In addition, an Index Provider will 
not provide any information relating to changes to an Underlying 
Index's methodology for the inclusion of Component Securities, the 
inclusion or exclusion of specific Component Securities, or methodology 
for the calculation or the return of Component Securities, in advance 
of a public announcement of such changes by the Index Provider. The 
Adviser will also include under Item 10.C of Part 2 of its Form ADV a 
discussion of its relationship to any Affiliated Index Provider and any 
material conflicts of interest resulting therefrom, regardless of 
whether the Affiliated Index Provider is a type of affiliate specified 
in Item 10.
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    \11\ The Adviser has also adopted or will adopt a code of ethics 
pursuant to Rule 17j-1 under the Act and Rule 204A-1 under the 
Advisers Act, which contains provisions reasonably necessary to 
prevent Access Persons (as defined in Rule 17j-1) from engaging in 
any conduct prohibited in Rule 17j-1 (``Code of Ethics'').
    \12\ The instruments and cash that the purchaser is required to 
deliver in exchange for the Creation Units it is purchasing are 
referred to as the ``Portfolio Deposit.''
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    14. To the extent the Self-Indexing Funds transact with an 
Affiliated Person of the Adviser or Sub-Adviser, such transactions will 
comply with the Act, the rules thereunder and the terms and conditions 
of the requested order. In this regard, each Self-Indexing Fund's board 
of directors or trustees (``Board'') will periodically review the Self-
Indexing Fund's use of an Affiliated Index Provider. Subject to the 
approval of the Self-Indexing Fund's Board, the Adviser, Affiliated 
Persons of the Adviser (``Adviser Affiliates'') and Affiliated Persons 
of any Sub-Adviser (``Sub-Adviser Affiliates'') may be authorized to 
provide custody, fund accounting and administration and transfer agency 
services to the Self-Indexing Funds. Any services provided by the 
Adviser, Adviser Affiliates, Sub-Adviser and Sub-Adviser Affiliates 
will be performed in accordance with the provisions of the Act, the 
rules under the Act and any relevant guidelines from the staff of the 
Commission.
    15. The Shares of each Fund will be purchased and redeemed in 
Creation Units and generally on an in-kind basis. Except where the 
purchase or redemption will include cash under the limited 
circumstances specified below, purchasers will be required to purchase 
Creation Units by making an in-kind deposit of specified instruments 
(``Deposit Instruments''), and shareholders redeeming their Shares will 
receive an in-kind transfer of specified instruments (``Redemption 
Instruments'').\13\ On any given Business Day, the names and quantities 
of the instruments that constitute the Deposit Instruments and the 
names and quantities of the instruments that constitute the Redemption 
Instruments will be identical, unless the Fund is Rebalancing (as 
defined below). In addition, the Deposit Instruments and the Redemption 
Instruments will each correspond pro rata to the positions in the 
Fund's portfolio (including cash positions) \14\ except: (a) In the 
case of bonds, for minor differences when it is impossible to break up 
bonds beyond certain minimum sizes needed for transfer and settlement; 
(b) for minor differences when rounding is necessary to eliminate 
fractional shares or lots that are not tradeable round lots; \15\ (c) 
TBA Transactions, short positions, derivatives and other positions that 
cannot be transferred in kind \16\ will be excluded from the Deposit 
Instruments and the Redemption Instruments; \17\ (d) to the extent the 
Fund determines, on a given Business Day, to use a representative 
sampling of the Fund's portfolio; \18\ or (e) for temporary periods, to 
effect changes in the Fund's portfolio as a result of the rebalancing 
of its Underlying Index (any such change, a ``Rebalancing''). If there 
is a difference between the NAV attributable to a Creation Unit and the 
aggregate market value of the Deposit Instruments or Redemption 
Instruments exchanged for the Creation Unit, the party conveying 
instruments with the lower value will also pay to the other an amount 
in cash equal to that difference (the ``Cash Amount'').
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    \13\ The Funds must comply with the federal securities laws in 
accepting Deposit Instruments and satisfying redemptions with 
Redemption Instruments, including that the Deposit Instruments and 
Redemption Instruments are sold in transactions that would be exempt 
from registration under the Securities Act of 1933 (``Securities 
Act''). In accepting Deposit Instruments and satisfying redemptions 
with Redemption Instruments that are restricted securities eligible 
for resale pursuant to rule 144A under the Securities Act, the Funds 
will comply with the conditions of rule 144A.
    \14\ The portfolio used for this purpose will be the same 
portfolio used to calculate the Fund's NAV for the Business Day.
    \15\ A tradeable round lot for a security will be the standard 
unit of trading in that particular type of security in its primary 
market.
    \16\ This includes instruments that can be transferred in kind 
only with the consent of the original counterparty to the extent the 
Fund does not intend to seek such consents.
    \17\ Because these instruments will be excluded from the Deposit 
Instruments and the Redemption Instruments, their value will be 
reflected in the determination of the Cash Amount (as defined 
below).
    \18\ A Fund may only use sampling for this purpose if the 
sample: (i) Is designed to generate performance that is highly 
correlated to the performance of the Fund's portfolio; (ii) consists 
entirely of instruments that are already included in the Fund's 
portfolio; and (iii) is the same for all Authorized Participants (as 
defined below) on a given Business Day.
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    16. Purchases and redemptions of Creation Units may be made in 
whole or in part on a cash basis, rather than in kind, solely under the 
following circumstances: (a) To the extent there is a Cash Amount; (b) 
if, on a given Business Day, the Fund announces before the open of 
trading that all purchases, all redemptions or all purchases and 
redemptions on that day will be made entirely in cash; (c) if, upon 
receiving a purchase or redemption order from an Authorized 
Participant, the Fund determines to require the purchase or redemption, 
as applicable, to be made entirely in cash; \19\ (d) if, on a given 
Business Day, the Fund requires all Authorized Participants purchasing 
or redeeming Shares on that day to deposit or receive (as applicable) 
cash in lieu of some or all of the Deposit Instruments or Redemption 
Instruments, respectively, solely because: (i) Such instruments are not 
eligible for transfer through either the NSCC or DTC (defined below); 
or (ii) in the case of Foreign Funds holding non-U.S. investments, such 
instruments are not eligible for trading due to local trading 
restrictions, local restrictions on securities transfers or other 
similar circumstances; or (e) if the Fund permits an Authorized 
Participant to deposit or receive (as applicable) cash in lieu of some 
or all of the Deposit Instruments or Redemption Instruments, 
respectively, solely because: (i) Such instruments are, in the case of 
the purchase of a Creation Unit, not available in sufficient quantity; 
(ii) such instruments are not eligible for trading by an Authorized 
Participant or the investor on whose behalf the Authorized Participant 
is acting; or (iii) a holder of Shares of a Foreign Fund holding non-
U.S. investments would be subject to unfavorable income tax treatment 
if the holder receives redemption proceeds in kind.\20\
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    \19\ In determining whether a particular Fund will sell or 
redeem Creation Units entirely on a cash or in-kind basis (whether 
for a given day or a given order), the key consideration will be the 
benefit that would accrue to the Fund and its investors. For 
instance, in bond transactions, the Adviser may be able to obtain 
better execution than Share purchasers because of the Adviser's 
size, experience and potentially stronger relationships in the fixed 
income markets. Purchases of Creation Units either on an all cash 
basis or in-kind are expected to be neutral to the Funds from a tax 
perspective. In contrast, cash redemptions typically require selling 
portfolio holdings, which may result in adverse tax consequences for 
the remaining Fund shareholders that would not occur with an in-kind 
redemption. As a result, tax consideration may warrant in-kind 
redemptions.
    \20\ A ``custom order'' is any purchase or redemption of Shares 
made in whole or in part on a cash basis in reliance on clause 
(e)(i) or (e)(ii).
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    17. Creation Units will consist of specified large aggregations of 
Shares (e.g., at least 25,000 Shares) as determined by the Adviser, and 
it is

[[Page 20011]]

expected that the initial price of a Creation Unit will fall in the 
range of $1 million to $10 million. All orders to purchase Creation 
Units must be placed with the Distributor by or through an ``Authorized 
Participant'' which is either (1) a ``Participating Party,'' i.e., a 
Broker or other participant in the Continuous Net Settlement System of 
the NSCC, a clearing agency registered with the Commission, or (2) a 
participant in The Depository Trust Company (``DTC'') (``DTC 
Participant''), which, in either case, has signed a participant 
agreement with the Distributor. The Distributor will be responsible for 
transmitting the orders to the Funds and will furnish to those placing 
such orders confirmation that the orders have been accepted, but 
applicants state that the Distributor may reject any order which is not 
submitted in proper form.
    18. Each Business Day, before the open of trading on the Exchange 
on which Shares are primarily listed (``Listing Exchange''), each Fund 
will cause to be published through the NSCC the names and quantities of 
the instruments comprising the Deposit Instruments and the Redemption 
Instruments, as well as the estimated Cash Amount (if any), for that 
day. The list of Deposit Instruments and Redemption Instruments will 
apply until a new list is announced on the following Business Day, and 
there will be no intra-day changes to the list except to correct errors 
in the published list. Each Listing Exchange will disseminate, every 15 
seconds during regular Exchange trading hours, through the facilities 
of the Consolidated Tape Association, an amount for each Fund stated on 
a per individual Share basis representing the sum of (i) the estimated 
Cash Amount and (ii) the current value of the Deposit Instruments.
    19. Transaction expenses, including operational processing and 
brokerage costs, will be incurred by a Fund when investors purchase or 
redeem Creation Units in-kind and such costs have the potential to 
dilute the interests of the Fund's existing shareholders. Each Fund 
will impose purchase or redemption transaction fees (``Transaction 
Fees'') in connection with effecting such purchases or redemptions of 
Creation Units. In all cases, such Transaction Fees will be limited in 
accordance with requirements of the Commission applicable to management 
investment companies offering redeemable securities. Since the 
Transaction Fees are intended to defray the transaction expenses as 
well as to prevent possible shareholder dilution resulting from the 
purchase or redemption of Creation Units, the Transaction Fees will be 
borne only by such purchasers or redeemers.\21\ The Distributor will be 
responsible for delivering the Fund's prospectus to those persons 
acquiring Shares in Creation Units and for maintaining records of both 
the orders placed with it and the confirmations of acceptance furnished 
by it. In addition, the Distributor will maintain a record of the 
instructions given to the applicable Fund to implement the delivery of 
its Shares.
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    \21\ Where a Fund permits an in-kind purchaser to substitute 
cash-in-lieu of depositing one or more of the requisite Deposit 
Instruments, the purchaser may be assessed a higher Transaction Fee 
to cover the cost of purchasing such Deposit Instruments.
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    20. Shares of each Fund will be listed and traded individually on 
an Exchange. It is expected that one or more member firms of an 
Exchange will be designated to act as a market maker (each, a ``Market 
Maker'') and maintain a market for Shares trading on the Exchange. 
Prices of Shares trading on an Exchange will be based on the current 
bid/offer market. Transactions involving the sale of Shares on an 
Exchange will be subject to customary brokerage commissions and 
charges.
    21. Applicants expect that purchasers of Creation Units will 
include institutional investors and arbitrageurs. Market Makers, acting 
in their roles to provide a fair and orderly secondary market for the 
Shares, may from time to time find it appropriate to purchase or redeem 
Creation Units. Applicants expect that secondary market purchasers of 
Shares will include both institutional and retail investors.\22\ The 
price at which Shares trade will be disciplined by arbitrage 
opportunities created by the option continually to purchase or redeem 
Shares in Creation Units, which should help prevent Shares from trading 
at a material discount or premium in relation to their NAV.
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    \22\ Shares will be registered in book-entry form only. DTC or 
its nominee will be the record or registered owner of all 
outstanding Shares. Beneficial ownership of Shares will be shown on 
the records of DTC or the DTC Participants.
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    22. Shares will not be individually redeemable, and owners of 
Shares may acquire those Shares from the Fund, or tender such Shares 
for redemption to the Fund, in Creation Units only. To redeem, an 
investor must accumulate enough Shares to constitute a Creation Unit. 
Redemption requests must be placed through an Authorized Participant. A 
redeeming investor will pay a Transaction Fee, calculated in the same 
manner as a Transaction Fee payable in connection with purchases of 
Creation Units.
    23. Neither the Trust nor any Fund will be advertised or marketed 
or otherwise held out as a traditional open-end investment company or a 
``mutual fund.'' Instead, each such Fund will be marketed as an 
``ETF.'' All marketing materials that describe the features or method 
of obtaining, buying or selling Creation Units, or Shares traded on an 
Exchange, or refer to redeemability, will prominently disclose that 
Shares are not individually redeemable and will disclose that the 
owners of Shares may acquire those Shares from the Fund or tender such 
Shares for redemption to the Fund in Creation Units only. The Funds 
will provide copies of their annual and semi-annual shareholder reports 
to DTC Participants for distribution to beneficial owners of Shares.

Applicants' Legal Analysis

    1. Applicants request an order under section 6(c) of the Act for an 
exemption from sections 2(a)(32), 5(a)(1), 22(d), and 22(e) of the Act 
and rule 22c-1 under the Act, under section 12(d)(1)(J) of the Act for 
an exemption from sections 12(d)(1)(A) and (B) of the Act, and under 
sections 6(c) and 17(b) of the Act for an exemption from sections 
17(a)(1) and 17(a)(2) of the Act.
    2. Section 6(c) of the Act provides that the Commission may exempt 
any person, security or transaction, or any class of persons, 
securities or transactions, from any provision of the Act, if and to 
the extent that such exemption is necessary or appropriate in the 
public interest and consistent with the protection of investors and the 
purposes fairly intended by the policy and provisions of the Act. 
Section 17(b) of the Act authorizes the Commission to exempt a proposed 
transaction from section 17(a) of the Act if evidence establishes that 
the terms of the transaction, including the consideration to be paid or 
received, are reasonable and fair and do not involve overreaching on 
the part of any person concerned, and the proposed transaction is 
consistent with the policies of the registered investment company and 
the general provisions of the Act. Section 12(d)(1)(J) of the Act 
provides that the Commission may exempt any person, security, or 
transaction, or any class or classes of persons, securities or 
transactions, from any provisions of section 12(d)(1) if the exemption 
is consistent with the public interest and the protection of investors.

Sections 5(a)(1) and 2(a)(32) of the Act

    3. Section 5(a)(1) of the Act defines an ``open-end company'' as a 
management investment company that is offering for

[[Page 20012]]

sale or has outstanding any redeemable security of which it is the 
issuer. Section 2(a)(32) of the Act defines a redeemable security as 
any security, other than short-term paper, under the terms of which the 
owner, upon its presentation to the issuer, is entitled to receive 
approximately a proportionate share of the issuer's current net assets, 
or the cash equivalent. Because Shares will not be individually 
redeemable, applicants request an order that would permit the Funds to 
register as open-end management investment companies and issue Shares 
that are redeemable in Creation Units only. Applicants state that 
investors may purchase Shares in Creation Units and redeem Creation 
Units from each Fund. Applicants further state that because Creation 
Units may always be purchased and redeemed at NAV, the price of Shares 
on the secondary market should not vary materially from NAV.

Section 22(d) of the Act and Rule 22c-1 Under the Act

    4. Section 22(d) of the Act, among other things, prohibits a dealer 
from selling a redeemable security that is currently being offered to 
the public by or through an underwriter, except at a current public 
offering price described in the prospectus. Rule 22c-1 under the Act 
generally requires that a dealer selling, redeeming or repurchasing a 
redeemable security do so only at a price based on its NAV. Applicants 
state that secondary market trading in Shares will take place at 
negotiated prices, not at a current offering price described in a 
Fund's prospectus, and not at a price based on NAV. Thus, purchases and 
sales of Shares in the secondary market will not comply with section 
22(d) of the Act and rule 22c-1 under the Act. Applicants request an 
exemption under section 6(c) from these provisions.
    5. Applicants assert that the concerns sought to be addressed by 
section 22(d) of the Act and rule 22c-1 under the Act with respect to 
pricing are equally satisfied by the proposed method of pricing Shares. 
Applicants maintain that while there is little legislative history 
regarding section 22(d), its provisions, as well as those of rule 22c-
1, appear to have been designed to (a) prevent dilution caused by 
certain riskless-trading schemes by principal underwriters and contract 
dealers, (b) prevent unjust discrimination or preferential treatment 
among buyers, and (c) ensure an orderly distribution of investment 
company shares by eliminating price competition from dealers offering 
shares at less than the published sales price and repurchasing shares 
at more than the published redemption price.
    6. Applicants believe that none of these purposes will be thwarted 
by permitting Shares to trade in the secondary market at negotiated 
prices. Applicants state that (a) secondary market trading in Shares 
does not involve a Fund as a party and will not result in dilution of 
an investment in Shares, and (b) to the extent different prices exist 
during a given trading day, or from day to day, such variances occur as 
a result of third-party market forces, such as supply and demand. 
Therefore, applicants assert that secondary market transactions in 
Shares will not lead to discrimination or preferential treatment among 
purchasers. Finally, applicants contend that the price at which Shares 
trade will be disciplined by arbitrage opportunities created by the 
option continually to purchase or redeem Shares in Creation Units, 
which should help prevent Shares from trading at a material discount or 
premium in relation to their NAV.

Section 22(e)

    7. Section 22(e) of the Act generally prohibits a registered 
investment company from suspending the right of redemption or 
postponing the date of payment of redemption proceeds for more than 
seven days after the tender of a security for redemption. Applicants 
state that settlement of redemptions for Foreign Funds will be 
contingent not only on the settlement cycle of the United States 
market, but also on current delivery cycles in local markets for 
underlying foreign securities held by a Foreign Fund. Applicants state 
that the delivery cycles currently practicable for transferring 
Redemption Instruments to redeeming investors, coupled with local 
market holiday schedules, may require a delivery process of up to 
fifteen (15) calendar days. \23\ Accordingly, with respect to Foreign 
Funds only, applicants hereby request relief under section 6(c) from 
the requirement imposed by section 22(e) to allow Foreign Funds to pay 
redemption proceeds within fifteen calendar days following the tender 
of Creation Units for redemption.\24\
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    \23\ Applicants state that certain countries in which a Fund may 
invest have historically had settlement periods of up to fifteen 
(15) calendar days.
    \24\ Applicants acknowledge that no relief obtained from the 
requirements of section 22(e) will affect any obligations applicants 
may otherwise have under rule 15c6-1 under the Exchange Act 
requiring that most securities transactions be settled within three 
business days of the trade date.
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    8. Applicants believe that Congress adopted section 22(e) to 
prevent unreasonable, undisclosed or unforeseen delays in the actual 
payment of redemption proceeds. Applicants propose that allowing 
redemption payments for Creation Units of a Foreign Fund to be made 
within fifteen calendar days would not be inconsistent with the spirit 
and intent of section 22(e). Applicants suggest that a redemption 
payment occurring within fifteen calendar days following a redemption 
request would adequately afford investor protection.
    9. Applicants are not seeking relief from section 22(e) with 
respect to Foreign Funds that do not effect creations and redemptions 
of Creation Units in-kind.

Section 12(d)(1)

    10. Section 12(d)(1)(A) of the Act prohibits a registered 
investment company from acquiring securities of an investment company 
if such securities represent more than 3% of the total outstanding 
voting stock of the acquired company, more than 5% of the total assets 
of the acquiring company, or, together with the securities of any other 
investment companies, more than 10% of the total assets of the 
acquiring company. Section 12(d)(1)(B) of the Act prohibits a 
registered open-end investment company, its principal underwriter and 
any other broker-dealer from knowingly selling the investment company's 
shares to another investment company if the sale will cause the 
acquiring company to own more than 3% of the acquired company's voting 
stock, or if the sale will cause more than 10% of the acquired 
company's voting stock to be owned by investment companies generally.
    11. Applicants request an exemption to permit registered management 
investment companies and UITs that are not advised or sponsored by the 
Adviser, and not part of the same ``group of investment companies,'' as 
defined in section 12(d)(1)(G)(ii) of the Act as the Underlying Funds 
(such management investment companies are referred to as ``Investing 
Management Companies,'' such UITs are referred to as ``Investing 
Trusts,'' and Investing Management Companies and Investing Trusts are 
collectively referred to as ``Funds of Funds'') \25\, to acquire 
Underlying Fund Shares beyond the limits of section 12(d)(1)(A) of the 
Act; and the Underlying Funds, and any principal underwriter for the 
Underlying Funds, and/or any Broker registered under the Exchange Act, 
to sell Underlying Fund Shares to Funds of Funds beyond the limits of 
section

[[Page 20013]]

12(d)(1)(B) of the Act. The ``Underlying Funds'' are (a) the Funds and 
(b) any registered open-end management investment company or any series 
thereof that is advised by an Adviser and that, pursuant to a separate 
order of the Commission, in general terms, operates as an ETF that 
utilizes active management investment strategies. Shares of an 
Underlying Fund are referred to as ``Underlying Fund Shares.''
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \25\ Funds of Funds do not include the Underlying Funds.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    12. Each Investing Management Company will be advised by an 
investment adviser within the meaning of section 2(a)(20)(A) of the Act 
(the ``Fund of Funds Adviser'') and may be sub-advised by investment 
advisers within the meaning of section 2(a)(20)(B) of the Act (each, a 
``Fund of Funds Sub-Adviser''). Any investment adviser to an Investing 
Management Company will be registered under the Advisers Act. Each 
Investing Trust will be sponsored by a sponsor (``Sponsor'').
    13. Applicants submit that the proposed conditions to the requested 
relief adequately address the concerns underlying the limits in 
sections 12(d)(1)(A) and (B), which include concerns about undue 
influence by a fund of funds over underlying funds, excessive layering 
of fees and overly complex fund structures. Applicants believe that the 
requested exemption is consistent with the public interest and the 
protection of investors.
    14. Applicants believe that neither a Fund of Funds nor a Fund of 
Funds Affiliate would be able to exert undue influence over an 
Underlying Fund.\26\ To limit the control that a Fund of Funds may have 
over an Underlying Fund, applicants propose a condition prohibiting a 
Fund of Funds Adviser or Sponsor, any person controlling, controlled 
by, or under common control with a Fund of Funds Adviser or Sponsor, 
and any investment company or issuer that would be an investment 
company but for sections 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of the Act that is advised 
or sponsored by a Fund of Funds Adviser or Sponsor, or any person 
controlling, controlled by, or under common control with a Fund of 
Funds Adviser or Sponsor (``Fund of Funds Advisory Group'') from 
controlling (individually or in the aggregate) an Underlying Fund 
within the meaning of section 2(a)(9) of the Act. The same prohibition 
would apply to any Fund of Funds Sub-Adviser, any person controlling, 
controlled by or under common control with the Fund of Funds Sub-
Adviser, and any investment company or issuer that would be an 
investment company but for sections 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of the Act (or 
portion of such investment company or issuer) advised or sponsored by 
the Fund of Funds Sub-Adviser or any person controlling, controlled by 
or under common control with the Fund of Funds Sub-Adviser (``Fund of 
Funds Sub-Advisory Group'').
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    \26\ A ``Fund of Funds Affiliate'' is a Fund of Funds Adviser, 
Fund of Funds Sub-Adviser, Sponsor, promoter, and principal 
underwriter of a Fund of Funds, and any person controlling, 
controlled by, or under common control with any of those entities. 
An ``Underlying Fund Affiliate'' is an investment adviser, promoter, 
or principal underwriter of an Underlying Fund and any person 
controlling, controlled by or under common control with any of these 
entities.
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    15. Applicants propose other conditions to limit the potential for 
undue influence over the Underlying Funds, including that no Fund of 
Funds or Fund of Funds Affiliate (except to the extent it is acting in 
its capacity as an investment adviser to an Underlying Fund) will cause 
an Underlying Fund to purchase a security in an offering of securities 
during the existence of an underwriting or selling syndicate of which a 
principal underwriter is an Underwriting Affiliate (``Affiliated 
Underwriting''). An ``Underwriting Affiliate'' is a principal 
underwriter in any underwriting or selling syndicate that is an 
officer, director, member of an advisory board, Fund of Funds Adviser, 
Fund of Funds Sub-Adviser, employee or Sponsor of the Fund of Funds, or 
a person of which any such officer, director, member of an advisory 
board, Fund of Funds Adviser or Fund of Funds Sub-Adviser, employee or 
Sponsor is an affiliated person (except that any person whose 
relationship to the Underlying Fund is covered by section 10(f) of the 
Act is not an Underwriting Affiliate).
    16. Applicants do not believe that the proposed arrangement will 
involve excessive layering of fees. The board of directors or trustees 
of any Investing Management Company, including a majority of the 
directors or trustees who are not ``interested persons'' within the 
meaning of section 2(a)(19) of the Act (``disinterested directors or 
trustees''), will find that the advisory fees charged under the 
contract are based on services provided that will be in addition to, 
rather than duplicative of, services provided under the advisory 
contract of any Underlying Fund in which the Investing Management 
Company may invest. In addition, under condition B.5., a Fund of Funds 
Adviser, or a Fund of Funds' trustee or Sponsor, as applicable, will 
waive fees otherwise payable to it by the Fund of Funds in an amount at 
least equal to any compensation (including fees received pursuant to 
any plan adopted by a Fund under rule 12b-1 under the Act) received 
from an Underlying Fund by the Fund of Funds Adviser, trustee or 
Sponsor or an affiliated person of the Fund of Funds Adviser, trustee 
or Sponsor, other than any advisory fees paid to the Fund of Funds 
Adviser, trustee or Sponsor or its affiliated person by an Underlying 
Fund, in connection with the investment by the Fund of Funds in the 
Underlying Fund. Applicants state that any sales charges and/or service 
fees charged with respect to shares of a Fund of Funds will not exceed 
the limits applicable to a fund of funds as set forth in NASD Conduct 
Rule 2830.\27\
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    \27\ Any references to NASD Conduct Rule 2830 include any 
successor or replacement FINRA rule to NASD Conduct Rule 2830.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    17. Applicants submit that the proposed arrangement will not create 
an overly complex fund structure. Applicants note that no Underlying 
Fund will acquire securities of any investment company or company 
relying on section 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of the Act in excess of the 
limits contained in section 12(d)(1)(A) of the Act, except to the 
extent permitted by exemptive relief from the Commission permitting the 
Underlying Fund to purchase shares of other investment companies for 
short-term cash management purposes. To ensure a Fund of Funds is aware 
of the terms and conditions of the requested order, the Fund of Funds 
will enter into an agreement with the Underlying Fund (``FOF 
Participation Agreement''). The FOF Participation Agreement will 
include an acknowledgement from the Fund of Funds that it may rely on 
the order only to invest in the Underlying Funds and not in any other 
investment company.
    18. Applicants also note that an Underlying Fund may choose to 
reject a direct purchase of Underlying Fund Shares in Creation Units by 
a Fund of Funds. To the extent that a Fund of Funds purchases 
Underlying Fund Shares in the secondary market, an Underlying Fund 
would still retain its ability to reject any initial investment by a 
Fund of Funds in excess of the limits of section 12(d)(1)(A) by 
declining to enter into a FOF Participation Agreement with the Fund of 
Funds.

Sections 17(a)(1) and (2) of the Act

    19. Sections 17(a)(1) and (2) of the Act generally prohibit an 
affiliated person of a registered investment company, or an affiliated 
person of such a person, from selling any security to or purchasing any 
security from the company. Section 2(a)(3) of the Act defines 
``affiliated person'' of another person to include (a) any person 
directly or indirectly

[[Page 20014]]

owning, controlling or holding with power to vote 5% or more of the 
outstanding voting securities of the other person, (b) any person 5% or 
more of whose outstanding voting securities are directly or indirectly 
owned, controlled or held with the power to vote by the other person, 
and (c) any person directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by or 
under common control with the other person. Section 2(a)(9) of the Act 
defines ``control'' as the power to exercise a controlling influence 
over the management or policies of a company, and provides that a 
control relationship will be presumed where one person owns more than 
25% of a company's voting securities. The Funds may be deemed to be 
controlled by the Adviser or an entity controlling, controlled by or 
under common control with the Adviser and hence affiliated persons of 
each other. In addition, the Funds may be deemed to be under common 
control with any other registered investment company (or series 
thereof) advised by an Adviser or an entity controlling, controlled by 
or under common control with an Adviser (an ``Affiliated Fund''). Any 
investor, including Market Makers, owning 5% or holding in excess of 
25% of a Trust or such Funds, may be deemed affiliated persons of that 
Trust or such Funds. In addition, an investor could own 5% or more, or 
in excess of 25% of the outstanding shares of one or more Affiliated 
Funds making that investor a Second-Tier Affiliate of the Funds.
    20. Applicants request an exemption from sections 17(a)(1) and 
17(a)(2) of the Act pursuant to sections 6(c) and 17(b) of the Act to 
permit persons that are Affiliated Persons of the Funds, or Second-Tier 
Affiliates of the Funds, solely by virtue of one or more of the 
following: (a) holding 5% or more, or in excess of 25%, of the 
outstanding Shares of one or more Funds; (b) an affiliation with a 
person with an ownership interest described in (a); or (c) holding 5% 
or more, or more than 25%, of the shares of one or more Affiliated 
Funds, to effectuate purchases and redemptions ``in-kind.''
    21. Applicants assert that no useful purpose would be served by 
prohibiting such affiliated persons from making ``in-kind'' purchases 
or ``in-kind'' redemptions of Shares of a Fund in Creation Units. Both 
the deposit procedures for ``in-kind'' purchases of Creation Units and 
the redemption procedures for ``in-kind'' redemptions of Creation Units 
will be effected in exactly the same manner for all purchases and 
redemptions, regardless of size or number. There will be no 
discrimination between purchasers or redeemers. Deposit Instruments and 
Redemption Instruments for each Fund will be valued in the identical 
manner as those Portfolio Holdings currently held by such Fund and the 
valuation of the Deposit Instruments and Redemption Instruments will be 
made in an identical manner regardless of the identity of the purchaser 
or redeemer. Applicants do not believe that ``in-kind'' purchases and 
redemptions will result in abusive self-dealing or overreaching, but 
rather assert that such procedures will be implemented consistently 
with each Fund's objectives and with the general purposes of the Act. 
Applicants believe that ``in-kind'' purchases and redemptions will be 
made on terms reasonable to applicants and any affiliated persons 
because they will be valued pursuant to verifiable objective standards. 
The method of valuing Portfolio Holdings held by a Fund is identical to 
that used for calculating ``in-kind'' purchase or redemption values and 
therefore creates no opportunity for affiliated persons or Second-Tier 
Affiliates of applicants to effect a transaction detrimental to the 
other holders of Shares of that Fund. Similarly, applicants submit 
that, by using the same standards for valuing Portfolio Holdings held 
by a Fund as are used for calculating ``in-kind'' redemptions or 
purchases, the Fund will ensure that its NAV will not be adversely 
affected by such securities transactions. Applicants also note that the 
ability to take deposits and make redemptions ``in-kind'' will help 
each Fund to track closely its Underlying Index and therefore aid in 
achieving the Fund's objectives.
    22. Applicants also seek relief under sections 6(c) and 17(b) from 
section 17(a) to permit an Underlying Fund that is an affiliated 
person, or an affiliated person of an affiliated person, of a Fund of 
Funds to sell its Underlying Fund Shares to and redeem its Underlying 
Fund Shares from a Fund of Funds, and to engage in the accompanying in-
kind transactions with the Fund of Funds.\28\ Applicants state that the 
terms of the transactions are fair and reasonable and do not involve 
overreaching. Applicants note that any consideration paid by a Fund of 
Funds for the purchase or redemption of Underlying Fund Shares directly 
from an Underlying Fund will be based on the NAV of the Underlying 
Fund.\29\ Applicants believe that any proposed transactions directly 
between the Underlying Funds and Funds of Funds will be consistent with 
the policies of each Fund of Funds. The purchase of Creation Units by a 
Fund of Funds directly from an Underlying Fund will be accomplished in 
accordance with the investment restrictions of any such Fund of Funds 
and will be consistent with the investment policies set forth in the 
Fund of Funds' registration statement. Applicants also state that the 
proposed transactions are consistent with the general purposes of the 
Act and are appropriate in the public interest.
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    \28\ Although applicants believe that most Funds of Funds will 
purchase Underlying Fund Shares in the secondary market and will not 
purchase Creation Units directly from an Underlying Fund, a Fund of 
Funds might seek to transact in Creation Units directly with an 
Underlying Fund that is an affiliated person of a Fund of Funds. To 
the extent that purchases and sales of Underlying Fund Shares occur 
in the secondary market and not through principal transactions 
directly between a Fund of Funds and an Underlying Fund, relief from 
section 17(a) would not be necessary. However, the requested relief 
would apply to direct sales of Underlying Fund Shares in Creation 
Units by an Underlying Fund to a Fund of Funds and redemptions of 
those Underlying Fund Shares. Applicants are not seeking relief from 
section 17(a) for, and the requested relief will not apply to, 
transactions where an Underlying Fund could be deemed an affiliated 
person, or an affiliated person of an affiliated person of a Fund of 
Funds because an Adviser or an entity controlling, controlled by or 
under common control with an Adviser provides investment advisory 
services to that Fund of Funds.
    \29\ Applicants acknowledge that the receipt of compensation by 
(a) an affiliated person of a Fund of Funds, or an affiliated person 
of such person, for the purchase by the Fund of Funds of Shares of 
an Underlying Fund or (b) an affiliated person of an Underlying 
Fund, or an affiliated person of such person, for the sale by the 
Underlying Fund of its Shares to a Fund of Funds, may be prohibited 
by section 17(e)(1) of the Act. The FOF Participation Agreement also 
will include this acknowledgment.
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Applicants' Conditions

    Applicants agree that any order of the Commission granting the 
requested relief will be subject to the following conditions:

A. ETF Relief

    1. The requested relief to permit ETF operations will expire on the 
effective date of any Commission rule under the Act that provides 
relief permitting the operation of index-based ETFs.
    2. As long as a Fund operates in reliance on the requested order, 
the Shares of such Fund will be listed on an Exchange.
    3. Neither the Trust nor any Fund will be advertised or marketed as 
an open-end investment company or a mutual fund. Any advertising 
material that describes the purchase or sale of Creation Units or 
refers to redeemability will prominently disclose that Shares are not 
individually redeemable and that owners of Shares may acquire those 
Shares from the Fund and tender those Shares for redemption to a Fund 
in Creation Units only.

[[Page 20015]]

    4. The Web site, which is and will be publicly accessible at no 
charge, will contain, on a per Share basis for each Fund, the prior 
Business Day's NAV and the market closing price or the midpoint of the 
bid/ask spread at the time of the calculation of such NAV (``Bid/Ask 
Price''), and a calculation of the premium or discount of the market 
closing price or Bid/Ask Price against such NAV.
    5. Each Self-Indexing Fund, Long/Short Fund and 130/30 Fund will 
post on the Web site on each Business Day, before commencement of 
trading of Shares on the Exchange, the Fund's Portfolio Holdings.
    6. No Adviser or any Sub-Adviser to a Self-Indexing Fund, directly 
or indirectly, will cause any Authorized Participant (or any investor 
on whose behalf an Authorized Participant may transact with the Self-
Indexing Fund) to acquire any Deposit Instrument for a Self-Indexing 
Fund through a transaction in which the Self-Indexing Fund could not 
engage directly.

B. Fund of Funds Relief

    1. The members of a Fund of Funds' Advisory Group will not control 
(individually or in the aggregate) an Underlying Fund within the 
meaning of section 2(a)(9) of the Act. The members of a Fund of Funds' 
Sub-Advisory Group will not control (individually or in the aggregate) 
an Underlying Fund within the meaning of section 2(a)(9) of the Act. 
If, as a result of a decrease in the outstanding voting securities of 
an Underlying Fund, the Fund of Funds' Advisory Group or the Fund of 
Funds' Sub-Advisory Group, each in the aggregate, becomes a holder of 
more than 25 percent of the outstanding voting securities of an 
Underlying Fund, it will vote its Underlying Fund Shares of the 
Underlying Fund in the same proportion as the vote of all other holders 
of the Underlying Fund's Shares. This condition does not apply to the 
Fund of Funds' Sub-Advisory Group with respect to an Underlying Fund 
for which the Fund of Funds' Sub-Adviser or a person controlling, 
controlled by or under common control with the Fund of Funds' Sub-
Adviser acts as the investment adviser within the meaning of section 
2(a)(20)(A) of the Act.
    2. No Fund of Funds or Fund of Funds Affiliate will cause any 
existing or potential investment by the Fund of Funds in an Underlying 
Fund to influence the terms of any services or transactions between the 
Fund of Funds or Fund of Funds Affiliate and the Underlying Fund or an 
Underlying Fund Affiliate.
    3. The board of directors or trustees of an Investing Management 
Company, including a majority of the disinterested directors or 
trustees, will adopt procedures reasonably designed to ensure that the 
Fund of Funds Adviser and Fund of Funds Sub-Adviser are conducting the 
investment program of the Investing Management Company without taking 
into account any consideration received by the Investing Management 
Company or a Fund of Funds Affiliate from an Underlying Fund or 
Underlying Fund Affiliate in connection with any services or 
transactions.
    4. Once an investment by a Fund of Funds in Underlying Fund Shares 
exceeds the limits in section 12(d)(1)(A)(i) of the Act, the Board of 
the Underlying Fund, including a majority of the directors or trustees 
who are not ``interested persons'' within the meaning of section 
2(a)(19) of the Act (``non-interested Board members''), will determine 
that any consideration paid by the Underlying Fund to the Fund of Funds 
or a Fund of Funds Affiliate in connection with any services or 
transactions: (i) is fair and reasonable in relation to the nature and 
quality of the services and benefits received by the Underlying Fund; 
(ii) is within the range of consideration that the Underlying Fund 
would be required to pay to another unaffiliated entity in connection 
with the same services or transactions; and (iii) does not involve 
overreaching on the part of any person concerned. This condition does 
not apply with respect to any services or transactions between an 
Underlying Fund and its investment adviser(s), or any person 
controlling, controlled by or under common control with such investment 
adviser(s).
    5. The Fund of Funds Adviser, or trustee or Sponsor of an Investing 
Trust, as applicable, will waive fees otherwise payable to it by the 
Fund of Funds in an amount at least equal to any compensation 
(including fees received pursuant to any plan adopted by an Underlying 
Fund under rule 12b-l under the Act) received from an Underlying Fund 
by the Fund of Funds Adviser, or trustee or Sponsor of the Investing 
Trust, or an affiliated person of the Fund of Funds Adviser, or trustee 
or Sponsor of the Investing Trust, other than any advisory fees paid to 
the Fund of Funds Adviser, or trustee or Sponsor of an Investing Trust, 
or its affiliated person by the Underlying Fund, in connection with the 
investment by the Fund of Funds in the Underlying Fund. Any Fund of 
Funds Sub-Adviser will waive fees otherwise payable to the Fund of 
Funds Sub-Adviser, directly or indirectly, by the Investing Management 
Company in an amount at least equal to any compensation received from 
an Underlying Fund by the Fund of Funds Sub-Adviser, or an affiliated 
person of the Fund of Funds Sub-Adviser, other than any advisory fees 
paid to the Fund of Funds Sub-Adviser or its affiliated person by the 
Underlying Fund, in connection with the investment by the Investing 
Management Company in the Underlying Fund made at the direction of the 
Fund of Funds Sub-Adviser. In the event that the Fund of Funds Sub-
Adviser waives fees, the benefit of the waiver will be passed through 
to the Investing Management Company.
    6. No Fund of Funds or Fund of Funds Affiliate (except to the 
extent it is acting in its capacity as an investment adviser to an 
Underlying Fund) will cause an Underlying Fund to purchase a security 
in any Affiliated Underwriting.
    7. The Board of an Underlying Fund, including a majority of the 
non-interested Board members, will adopt procedures reasonably designed 
to monitor any purchases of securities by the Underlying Fund in an 
Affiliated Underwriting, once an investment by a Fund of Funds in the 
securities of the Underlying Fund exceeds the limit of section 
12(d)(1)(A)(i) of the Act, including any purchases made directly from 
an Underwriting Affiliate. The Board of the Underlying Fund will review 
these purchases periodically, but no less frequently than annually, to 
determine whether the purchases were influenced by the investment by 
the Fund of Funds in the Underlying Fund. The Board of the Underlying 
Fund will consider, among other things: (i) Whether the purchases were 
consistent with the investment objectives and policies of the 
Underlying Fund; (ii) how the performance of securities purchased in an 
Affiliated Underwriting compares to the performance of comparable 
securities purchased during a comparable period of time in 
underwritings other than Affiliated Underwritings or to a benchmark 
such as a comparable market index; and (iii) whether the amount of 
securities purchased by the Underlying Fund in Affiliated Underwritings 
and the amount purchased directly from an Underwriting Affiliate have 
changed significantly from prior years. The Board will take any 
appropriate actions based on its review, including, if appropriate, the 
institution of procedures designed to ensure that purchases of 
securities in Affiliated Underwritings are in the best interest of 
shareholders of the Underlying Fund.

[[Page 20016]]

    8. Each Underlying Fund will maintain and preserve permanently in 
an easily accessible place a written copy of the procedures described 
in the preceding condition, and any modifications to such procedures, 
and will maintain and preserve for a period of not less than six years 
from the end of the fiscal year in which any purchase in an Affiliated 
Underwriting occurred, the first two years in an easily accessible 
place, a written record of each purchase of securities in Affiliated 
Underwritings once an investment by a Fund of Funds in the securities 
of the Underlying Fund exceeds the limit of section 12(d)(1)(A)(i) of 
the Act, setting forth from whom the securities were acquired, the 
identity of the underwriting syndicate's members, the terms of the 
purchase, and the information or materials upon which the 
determinations of the Board of the Underlying Fund were made.
    9. Before investing in an Underlying Fund in excess of the limit in 
section 12(d)(1)(A), a Fund of Funds and the Trust will execute a FOF 
Participation Agreement stating, without limitation, that their 
respective boards of directors or trustees and their investment 
advisers, or trustee and Sponsor, as applicable, understand the terms 
and conditions of the order, and agree to fulfill their 
responsibilities under the order. At the time of its investment in 
Underlying Fund Shares in excess of the limit in section 
12(d)(1)(A)(i), a Fund of Funds will notify the Underlying Fund of the 
investment. At such time, the Fund of Funds will also transmit to the 
Underlying Fund a list of the names of each Fund of Funds Affiliate and 
Underwriting Affiliate. The Fund of Funds will notify the Underlying 
Fund of any changes to the list of the names as soon as reasonably 
practicable after a change occurs. The Underlying Fund and the Fund of 
Funds will maintain and preserve a copy of the order, the FOF 
Participation Agreement, and the list with any updated information for 
the duration of the investment and for a period of not less than six 
years thereafter, the first two years in an easily accessible place.
    10. Before approving any advisory contract under section 15 of the 
Act, the board of directors or trustees of each Investing Management 
Company including a majority of the disinterested directors or 
trustees, will find that the advisory fees charged under such contract 
are based on services provided that will be in addition to, rather than 
duplicative of, the services provided under the advisory contract(s) of 
any Underlying Fund in which the Investing Management Company may 
invest. These findings and their basis will be fully recorded in the 
minute books of the appropriate Investing Management Company.
    11. Any sales charges and/or service fees charged with respect to 
shares of a Fund of Funds will not exceed the limits applicable to a 
fund of funds as set forth in NASD Conduct Rule 2830.
    12. No Underlying Fund will acquire securities of an investment 
company or company relying on section 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of the Act in 
excess of the limits contained in section 12(d)(1)(A) of the Act, 
except to the extent the Underlying Fund acquires securities of another 
investment company pursuant to exemptive relief from the Commission 
permitting the Underlying Fund to acquire securities of one or more 
investment companies for short-term cash management purposes.

    For the Commission, by the Division of Investment Management, 
under delegated authority.
Robert W. Errett,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2016-07835 Filed 4-5-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 8011-01-P